Steelers sign Plaxico Burress and an unknown quarterback

Plaxico Burress has signed with the team that initially brought him into the league -- the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers needed help at wide receiver after Jerricho Cotchery fractured his ribs Sunday and top receiver Antonio Brown is expected to miss a third straight game with an ankle injury.

Burress is reuniting with the team that picked him in the first round of the 2000 draft. He spent five seasons in Pittsburgh, making 261 catches for 4,164 yards and 22 touchdowns, before leaving as a free agent and eventually becoming a Super Bowl hero with the New York Giants.

His career was derailed in 2008 when he accidentally shot himself in the leg at a nightclub. He spent 20 months in prison and later turned down an offer from the Steelers to play for the New York Jets last season, catching 45 passes for 612 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Steelers, reduced to starting No. 3 quarterback Charlie Batch this week against the Cleveland Browns after injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich, also signed Brian Hoyer to provide depth at that position, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Hoyer spent all three years of his NFL career with the New England Patriots and has seen very little playing time. Most recently the Patriots' No. 3 quarterback, the former Michigan State Spartan has completed 27 of 43 passes for 286 yards with one touchdown and one interception as a pro.

The Steelers also worked out former Detroit Lions receiver Derrick Williams and former Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Mike Kafka, the Post-Gazette is reporting.

former Penn State wide receiver Derrick Williams and former Philadelphia Eagles back quarterback Mike Kafka.